2024 Volkswagen Tiguan vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan presented a sophisticated exterior that many found more premium than its non-European counterparts. Its design was marked by standard LED headlights and taillights, with an illuminated grille light line on the Highline R-Line trim. This top-tier model also featured silver roof rails, contrasting with the black rails on lower trims. The rear end showcased the model name in a stylish all-caps format, complemented by the classic Volkswagen badge. Colour options were limited on the base Trendline trim, but higher trims offered more vibrant choices, including blue and red, along with varied interior colourways.

Inside, the Tiguan offered a range of features across its trims. The base Trendline included heated front seats with cloth upholstery, while the Comfortline added an eight-way power driver’s seat and leatherette upholstery. The R-Line trims boasted a panoramic sunroof, and the Highline R-Line further upgraded to real leather, front-seat ventilation, a heated steering wheel, and three-position driver’s seat memory. The Highline R-Line also enhanced passenger comfort with eight-way power adjustability for the front passenger’s seat and heated outboard rear seats.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was designed to emphasize its sporty nature within the Range Rover family. Its tall stance was balanced by a shorter wheelbase and chopped top, giving it an athletic look. Large front air intakes and faux vents added to its aggressive styling, though from some angles, it appeared too tall and narrow. The SV Edition Two, the highest-performance model, featured 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels and a carbon-fibre hood with an exposed patch. Despite its performance-oriented design, the Sport maintained a minimalist interior aesthetic, with a touchscreen, stubby shifter, and engine start button as the main dashboard features.

The interior of the SV Edition Two was adorned with red leather upholstery, sport seats with light-up “SV” inserts, and illuminated steering-wheel paddle shifters. The console, dash, and door panels were high, creating a cockpit-like feel, though this made the front seats feel slightly cramped. Material quality was high, but the use of reflective piano black plastic was excessive. The Range Rover Sport’s interior was designed for a sporty mission, with a focus on creating an enclosed and luxurious environment.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan was equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, delivering 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and in Canada, Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive was standard. Fuel economy ratings were 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 8.0 on the highway, and 9.4 combined for non R-Line trims, while R-Line trims had slightly higher consumption figures. The driving experience in the Tiguan Highline R-Line was mixed, with inconsistent power delivery and a touchy gas pedal. The steering was light but somewhat rubbery, though visibility and handling were commendable.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered multiple powertrain options, all with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The base Dynamic SE model featured a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine with 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. A plug-in hybrid variant increased output to 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim offered a more powerful plug-in hybrid with 543 hp and 590 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two used a twin-turbo BMW V8, producing 626 hp, making it the most powerful Range Rover model. It could accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 290 km/h. The Range Rover Sport excelled in both performance and luxury, with sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and brake-based torque vectoring enhancing its agility and ride comfort.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan offered a two-row configuration as standard, with an optional third row available for an additional cost. The two-row model provided 1,064 litres of cargo space with all seats in place, expanding to 2,078 litres with the rear seats folded. The three-row version reduced cargo space to 340 litres behind the third row, 934 litres with it folded, and 1,849 litres with only the front seats in use. Passenger space was minimally affected by the third row, with the second row offering 983 mm of legroom, dropping to 924 mm with the third row. The third row was tight, with 858 mm of headroom and 708 mm of legroom.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Velar and full-size Range Rover, was a two-row five-seater. It offered ample headroom, though legroom was slightly less than some competitors. The rear seats were standard with reclining functionality, and the front seats were 20-way power-adjustable with heating, ventilation, and memory. Cargo space was 835 litres behind the second row, expanding to 1,860 litres with the seats folded. The Sport’s towing capacity was 3,500 kilograms for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 3,000 kilograms.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan featured haptic touch slider buttons for climate control, which were responsive and easy to use. The infotainment system had monochromatic graphics accessed through an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Digital Cockpit System was standard, with the R-Line trims offering a fully configurable 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro screen. The nine-speaker Fender Premium Audio System was a highlight, providing excellent sound quality.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport shared its screen setup with the larger Range Rover, featuring a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration were standard. The minimalist design had functional limitations, with most controls requiring touchscreen interaction. The Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, and the SV Edition Two featured “Body and Soul Seats” with embedded transducers for a unique audio experience.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan earned a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS. Standard safety features included forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, emergency calling, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and Emergency Assist were available from the Comfortline trim, offering semi-autonomous highway driving and parking assistance.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport included standard driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver attention monitor. A 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking, though the parking sensors were overly sensitive. Safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of writing.